Electric controller.



ELEcTmc coNTRoLLEB.

sheet'l.

(Application led July 19, 1900.)

(NoModel.)

muy.

No. 69|,809Lr Patented lan. 287 i902.

- w. B. POTTER.

ELECTRIC GUNTRULLEB. Application mea J'uly 19, 1900.; (No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2.

3m/enum Wil l iam B. potter,

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UNITED STATES 'WILLIAM B.

ERAL

POTTER, orscHENEOrADY, `ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW'YORK.

PATENT @Erica NEW YoEmAesIt-iuon 'ro OEE'L 'ELECTRIC CONTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part bf Letters Patent No. 691,809, dated January28, 1902.

(Case No. 1,440,) ofwhich the following is a Y specification.

My invention relates to means for opening the power-circuit j of anelectric controller upon the occurrence of predetermined condiwheneverthe current flowing through the controller exceeds a predetermined limitor whenever for any reason' the operator removes his hand from thecontroller-handle when it is in one of its opera tive positions--andconstitutes an-im provement on the arrangement disclosed in patent 'toF. Case, No. 655,389, dated August 7, 1900. I

My invention is especially applicable to telectric-railway systems inwhich it is desirable to keep 4the current supplied to a cai` or trainwithin certain limits and in which an-'injury to the motorman or atemporary disability while running may with the con# trollersor'dinarily employed permit the car or -train to run wild with seriousresults.

It is -of course equally applicable to the ordinary street-carcontroller, in which case it will opcrate to open the power-circuitdirectly, or to the master-controller of a train system to open-the maincircuit supplying power for he operationfof thc separatemotor-controlers.

forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 shows in cross-sectionone embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 shows a modified constructheauxiliary and main controller-contacts.

Referring first to Fig. 1, .A indicates a controller-cylinder ofordinary construction keyed to the shaft B, the lower end of the cylofits operative positions.

mounted a spring g,

Referring to the accompanying drawings,y

the dog. position shown by a spring skinterposed b 'ef-l Vro inder andshaft being broken away. 'Mounted .on the upper end ot the shaft B isthe handle C, by means of which the cylinder is turned. Between the maincylinder and the handle is mounted the auxiliary cylinder D, thecontacts of which serve to open the power-circuit (in the particularconstruction shown in this figure) wh'e ever the operator/removeshishandfrcm: the Ahandle C while the main controller-'cylin'de'ris inone 'The auxiliary cylinder comprises a body of insulating id aterialcarrying contact-strips a and b and is mounted on a sleeve c, free torevolve onthe'controller-shaft B. Thissleeve is provided atcontrollerits lower end with a flange c', and the peof the iiange isprovided with a proriph'ery jeotion d, adapted .to engage alngeon thecon- Between the iiange c' andthe troller-casing.' upper end of the'main controllerrcylinder is fastened at its inner end to a pin h' inthe upper end ofthe main cylin;v

derand at its outeriend to a pin h c'. This springis in the positionshown in Fig.l 1" operates to maintain'the projection d in engagementwith the vlug e, and thus to hold the cylinder D in position to'open thepower-circuit. It withthe arrangement thus vfar described the controllervhandl'e should be turned in right inthe flangenormally under tension,and

handed rotation, the main controller-cylinder would be rotated, brit theauxiliary cylinder.

D would remain in the position shown, the spring g unwindingby theamount that the 'main cylinder is movedforward. In order that thecylinder D may be caused to move with the cylinder A, a dog on, having aprofjection m at its lower end, is slidingly mounted in a groove in thecontroller-shaft. When the controller-handle occupies the position shownin' the drawings, the projection m' 'lies directly beneath dog m isoperated from a push-button in the controllerfhandle, when depressed toraise the dog throughthe instrumentality of a lever 7a, having its endat l projecting into a slot in the upper end of This leverIsmaintainedin the tween the lever and the handle.

a slot in the iiange c'. The

the push-button operating t 'Ixo controller will be completed.

y Supposing the parts to occupy the position i .shown in Fig. l ofthedrawings, if the opera.- tor places his hand on handle C in such aposition as to depress the push-button E the dog m will be raised untilits lower end m engages the slot in the flange c. Il now the l handleofthe controller is turned, the auxiliary cylinder D will be carriedwith the main cylinderA and the power-circuit through the Thecontroller'. may nowbe turned into any one of its operative positions,and when so turned will operate the same as any ordinary controller.Il", however, after the handle has been-turned x5 part way the hand isremoved from the handle, the spring s will operate to raise thepushbutton and to depress the dog m, thereby disengaging the projectionm from the slot in the flange c' and permitting the auxiliary cylzoinder D to be thrown backward by the spring g until the projection d onthe liange ccomes into engagement with the lug e on thecontroller-casing, thereby opening the power-cir-- cuit atV the contactsof the auxiliary cylinder. However the handle C may now be turned thecontroller will be entirely'inoperative and Awill so remain until thehandle C has been vbroughttothe ott position, when again the lower endofthe dog m will come into position 3o beneath the slot in the flangec'.

From the above description it will be clear that the controller can beoperated only when vthe push-button in the handle is depressed beforethe handle is moved from its oil? position, and that if when thecontroller is in ,any-one of its operative positions the oper- 'atorremoves his vhand from the controller- 'ha'ndle the power-circuit willbe immediately broken at the cylinder-D and cannot be again 4o restoreduntil the controller-handle has'been returned toits oil' position. Inconstructions herepfore designed for accomplishing this object thespring which operates to open-circuit the controller-contacts has beenso arranged that whenever the motorman turns the controller-handle intoany one of its operative positions he is compelled not only to overcomethe friction of the controller, but

also to wind up the spring` In the construcgction which I have devisedthe spring is so arranged that it relieves the motorman from 'anyeiortto overcome the spring, as the torsional strains are entirelyself-contained. So long as the projection on the end of the dog 5 ismaintained' in engagement with the slot in the ange c the spring,although under tension, is entirely inoperative and always reina-ins inthis condition unless the push-button E is released when the controlleris in one n of its operative positions. In this case the motormaninturning the controller back to its off position winds up the spring.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modified construc tion in' which in lieu of thedog m a sleeve 0 isprovided at the upper end of the controllershaft.This sleeve is provided at its loweri end with a projecting' portion p,which engages a slot in theupper end of the sleeve c. The upper end of"'thesleeve o is enlarged and slotted at r, and the lever 7s. isprovided with a projection l', adapted in the oil? position of thecontrollcrto be projected into the slot. The engagement between thesleeve o and the sleeve c is somewhat more clearly illustrated in Fig.4, which shows a cross-section through the upper end of the sleeve c andthe nut, which locks the parts of the cylinder D together. 'lhevpart pshown in this figure is the projection on the lower end of the sleeve o.In Fig. 3 the position of the controller-cylinder in its casing isindicated, the projection on the flange c being shown in engagement withthe lug c and the spring g and the handle of the controller beingindicated in dotted lines. This figure shows also the upper end of thesleeve c and its surrounding. nut and the sleeve o. It will be notedthat in this which is the ofV position of the controller thel slot rliesdirectly under the middle of the controller-handlein position to beengaged by the projection Z on the lever 7c. I

The arrangements above described are intended to open the power-circuitof the controller whenever the motorman releases the handle of thecontroller. In Fig. 5 I have shown a similar arrangement provided with alocking device normally held in operative position by a spring, togetherwith electromagnetically-actuated means fordisengaging the lockingdevice and permitting the circuitbreaker to open the controller-circuitwhenever the current flowing in the circuit to be cont-rolled exceeds apredetermir d amount. In this figure an electromagnet, comprisingthemembers F and G, is interposed between the main andauxiliary-cylinders of the controller. The member F is supported on theshaft by means of an adjusting-hott, the adjustment being for thepurpose of regulating the distance between the elements F and G, i andthus varying the amount of current required to operate the trippingdevice.. The lower end of the member Fis held against the upper surfaceof the, nutt by means of a spring s' engaging `a collar u, fixed to theconr troller-shaft. This member is provided with a winding w, connectedbetween the contactstripfand the other contacts of the controllei-,(notshown,) so that the entire current supplied to the controller passesthrough it. The i member G, which constitutes an armature forl issecured from turning on the controller-shaft by a feather engaging agroove in the said sha-ft, but is free to move up and down. AThisarmature carries a stop o, which engages with a lug on the flange c. Asshown in this figure of the drawings, the Y pin h', to which one end ofthe springg is fastened, is enlarged to constitute the lug. The armatureis maintained in position, so that I the stop carried thereby willengage the lug 7L' by means of the spring s2 interposed bethe member F,

IOS

r is in any one current greater than that for gaging the "tromagnet isadjusted iiows through the controller the' armature G will 'be drawninto contact with the, member F, thereby diseniliary cylinder D willthen be throw-aback to its off' position where the projection d engagesthe lug e on the controller-casing, thus y opening thecontroller-circui-t at the contacts of the auxiliary cylinder. Furtherturning of the controller-handle will turn the main controller-cylinder,but will not move the auxiliary cylinder. Thecontroller-will thereforeremain inoperative until thehandle C is turned back to its E position,when the stop on the armature G will slip under and engage the end ofthe lug h. After such engagement has takenplace the main and auxiliarycylinders will move together until the cnrrent'again rises to an amountgreater than that for which the electromagnet is adjusted,

when the same action willV take place as before.

In Ifig. 6 I have indicated in development the ixed and movable contactsof the auxiliary cylinder D and the first set of contacts on the maincylinder A, together with the circuit connections therefor. From thisfigure it will be seen that current entering from the trolley T willpass to thefixed contact-a' and thence through the movablecontacts aandpbv Vof the auxiliarycylinder D to the fixed contact b', whence itwill flow through the iixed contactf to the mpvable contact f, andthence through the fixed and movable contacts of the main cylinder tothe circuitto be controlled'.

Although I have'shown Vthe arrangements for opening thecontroller-circuit from the controller-handle and for opening thecontroller-circuit whenever the current exceeds a predetermined limit inseparate figures of the drawings, it is evident that if desirable bothof these arrangements might be combined in a single structure, andalthough in the, constructions shown in the drawings the conv tactsconstituting the circuit-breaker are carried by the sleeve mounted onthecontrollershaft it is evident that in certain of 'its fea-` tures myinvention is not limited to such con-4 struction. The arrangement ,ofthe spring v connection by means of [which theI circuitbreaker isoperated, so that the torsional strains will be normallyself-contained', constitutes one of the principal features of myin-fvention`,' and though I preferably linterpcpe' .this spring connectionbetween the controller-v shi ft and an auxiliary cylinder mountedthereon it is to be understood'that the part ro- T tatable on the shaftmay, instead of carrying-- the circuit-breakingrcontacts, operate in anysuitablepnannerto open a circuit-breakeras, forexamplc, in the mannershown'in the patent to F. E. Case, abovereferred to.

which the elecstop fu from the lug h. The anxiliary, in g contacts,mounted on the controller-shaft,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

A I. In combination in a controller, a rotata- .ble shaft, movablecontacts mounted to rotatefreely thereon, engage therewith, meanstending to maintain said movable contacts out of engagement with theircorresponding fixed contacts, and means for operatively connecting saidmovable contacts to the controller-shaft.y

2. In combination, in a controller, a cylinfixed contacts adapted to dermounted on the controller-shaft and provided with contacts adapted toopen the powercircuit, means tending to maintain said cylinder` in itsopen-circuit position, means for causing said cylinder tomove with thecontroller-shaft, and means operating under predetermined conditions tovrelease said cyl- 3. In combination in a controller, a sleeve upon thecontroller-shaft, a spring connection between said sleeve and saidshaft, and means for holding the said sleeve in a definite posi.- tionen said shaft against the `force of the spring.

4. In combination in a controller, a sleeve upon the controller-shaft, astop limiting the movement of said sleeve, a spring connection betweensaid sleeve and said shaft, means for locking the sleeve to the shaft,and means op'- erating under predetermined conditions for unlocking thesleeve.

5. In combination in a controller, a main cylinder, an auxiliarycylinder, a spring connection between them, means for locking saidcylinders togetherwith the spring under tension and means fordisengaging said locking means,

on the controller-shaft, a spring connection IOO t I05 l 6. Incombinatio\nin a controller, a sleeve between 'said sleeve and saidshaft, means for locking saidsleeve to the said'shaft, and meansoperating under predetermined con` ditions yfor disengaging said lockingmeans.

--7 In combination, in a controller, a springactuated sleeve mounted onthe controller- IIO shaft, and an electromagnetically-actuated l devicefor lockingvsaid sleeve-to'said shaft.

8; In combination, in a controller, a springactuated sleeve mounted onthe'controllershaft, an electromagnet having an armature adaptedv to'lock, saidsleeve -to said shaft, andv means for'adjnstin'g lsaidelectromagnet to actnate said armature when the current supplied to Ithewinding of said magnet reaches a predetermined lirrrit.v Y

' 9. In combination ina controller, an auxcylinder providedwithcircuit-breakmeans tending to maintain saidrlcylinderto gaging -saidlocfring means.

10. .In combination 1n a controller,an auxt liliary cylinder mounted` onthe controlle'r- Y shaft, a spring connection between said cyl- I can beoperated to lock the sleeve to the shaft ro inder and said shaft, meansfor locking said only in the 01T position of the controller.. cylinderto said shaft, and means 'controlled In witness whereof I have heren-nto set my by the current supplied to said controller for hand this v17thday of July, 1900. disengaging said locking means. n

l1. In combination in a controller, a, spring- WILLIAM B' POT l ER'actuated sleeve on the controller-shaft, and means for locking saidsleeve to said shaft, I said locking means being so arranged that it lWitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, MABEL E. JAooBsoN.

